NEW YORK (VINnews) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he is resigning from his positions, saying: “I have accepted the decision of my party. I am announcing my resignation as Prime Minister.” He added that he would formally notify King Charles III.

The dramatic move comes just two years after Starmer led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the July 2024 general election.

Starmer informed King Charles III this morning of his decision to step down and requested that Labour’s National Executive Committee establish a clear timetable for selecting a new leader. According to the plan, nominations for the leadership will open on July 9 and be completed during the summer recess so that the next leader can take office before Parliament reconvenes in September. Until the process is completed and a successor is chosen, Starmer will continue serving as caretaker prime minister.

In his statement, he addressed the internal party leadership process and said: “I will step down as leader of the Labour Party,” adding that he had listened to voices within the party and questioned whether he was the right person to lead it into the next general election.

Watch live: My statement. https://t.co/MX7ga3FRGq

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 22, 2026

In his speech, the outgoing prime minister emphasized that he had always acted in the public interest and said every decision he made while in office was intended: “to put the country I love first.”

He added that he inherited a party that was politically and financially broken, but succeeded in transforming it, eliminating the problem of antisemitism within its ranks, and restoring public trust in the party on economic and national security issues.

Starmer also thanked his family, especially his wife Victoria, whom he described as his rock throughout the journey. He said he hopes to devote more time to his family and become the best father possible to his children, whom he described as a source of great pride and joy.

The resignation comes after pressure intensified within Labour over the weekend, with Members of Parliament reportedly threatening efforts to remove him.

MP Anna Dixon, who supports Andy Burnham as a candidate for the premiership, said: “I think it’s clear now that the Prime Minister recognizes that the time has come to go. I think he saw the writing on the wall.”

Former Health Secretary Zubair Ahmed, who resigned last month because he had lost confidence in the Prime Minister, said the situation had become untenable.

Ahmed explained: “I think what happened over the weekend is that he reflected on things. His cabinet colleagues told him that the current situation is not sustainable. It sounds as though we are gradually reaching the point where the Prime Minister will set a timetable to allow an orderly transition to new leadership. I think that’s the right thing to do.”

Journalist Tom Baldwin, a biographer close to Starmer, suggested that the outgoing prime minister might leave politics entirely after the transition process.

Baldwin said:”If Keir Starmer does decide to leave, and I don’t know what he is going to do, I don’t think he will remain in politics for very long. For him, it was always something he felt he had to do, not something he loved doing.”

The Conservative opposition was quick to clarify that a change of leadership at 10 Downing Street would not require a new general election.

Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Alex Burghart stated: “No. Constitutionally, there does not have to be a general election. A prime minister can be replaced. What matters is that the prime minister has the support of Members of Parliament in Parliament.”